It started with a panicked bleat.
Kai stiffened, instinct flaring. He turned toward the southern pastures, where a thick cloud of dust churned the air.
Without hesitation, he sprinted toward the disturbance, Chimchar clinging tight to his shoulder.
At the far fence line, chaos reigned: the Mareep had scattered, wool sparking with static fear. In their place stood a wild Tauros — one of Paldea's fierce black-coated breeds — thrashing and snorting, its horns tearing deep gouges into the earth.
Several young ranch hands stood nearby, clutching their Poké Balls but frozen by fear.
"It's gone crazy!" one shouted. "We can't hold it!"
Kai slowed as he approached, heart steady. The Tauros wasn't angry — it was scared. And fear could be far more dangerous.
He felt Chimchar tense, ready to leap into battle.
But Kai placed a hand on his partner's back, calming him.
No fight. Not yet.
Instead, Kai knelt low in the dry grass, lowering himself into the earth's heartbeat. And then, he began to hum — a slow, rhythmic tune, old as the valley itself. A lullaby passed down by the ranchers who had lived here long before Mesagoza rose with its marble towers.
The Tauros huffed, stomping, uncertain.
Kai's voice wove through the charged air, a gentle, invisible rope. Slowly, step by step, the Tauros's breathing eased. It backed away, muscles trembling, before finally turning and galloping off toward the wild hills beyond.
The ranch hands stared in awe.
Kai said nothing, simply rose and began repairing the broken fence, the same steady rhythm as always.
That night, long after the chores were finished, Kai sat on the rooftop of the ranch house, Chimchar tucked against his side.
Above them, the stars blazed like scattered jewels.
In the far distance, beyond the hills and the olive fields, Kai could just make out the faint glow of Area Zero — the heart of Paldea's greatest mysteries, where ancient powers still stirred.
Kai leaned back, staring up at the sky.
He didn't chase badges or glory. He didn't seek the titles of Champion or Elite. But he knew the world was changing. The old songs in the earth were waking.
And when the time came, Kai would be ready.
For now, though, Dawn Valley slept — and its hidden guardian watched over it in silence.